0000000000472268
AUTHOR
Gramenzi A
Curative therapies are superior to standard of care (transarterial chemoembolization) for intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma.
Background and aims the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer intermediate stage (BCLC-B) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) includes extremely heterogeneous patients in terms of tumor burden and liver function. Transarterial-chemoembolization (TACE) is the first-line treatment for these patients although it may be risky/useless for someone, while others could undergo curative treatments. This study assesses the treatment type performed in a large cohort of BCLC-B patients and its outcome. Methods retrospective analysis of 485 consecutive BCLC-B patients from the ITA.LI.CA database diagnosed with naive HCC after 1999. Patients were stratified by treatment. Results 29 patients (6%) were lost to follo…
Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization therapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a case-controlled study.
Background & Aims: Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) currently is used as a palliative treatment for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but its efficacy still is debated. Our aim was to assess the impact of TACE on patient survival and to identify prognostic factors for survival. Methods: Fifty-six cirrhotic patients with unresectable HCC undergoing at least :1 course of TACE were matched 1:1. for sex, age (in 5-year periods), parameters of Child-Pugh score, Okuda stage, and tumor type with a control group who had received only supportive care. Results: The 2 groups were comparable for cause of cirrhosis, alpha-fetoprotein serum levels, and Cancer of th…
High risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in anti-HBe positive liver cirrhosis patients developing lamivudine resistance
The emergence of drug-resistant virus in hepatitis B virus patients treated with lamivudine is well documented. However. its clinical impact in the long-term treatment of anti-HBe positive compensated cirrhotic patients is not well known. In this study, we treated 22 consecutive patients with anti-HBe compensated cirrhosis with lamivudine for a median period of 42 months. All patients responded to lamivudine, but viral breakthrough occurred in 13 patients (59%) between 9 and 42 months of therapy due to the emergence of a mutant strain. During the follow-up, 11 developed hepatocellular carcinoma. Of these, 10 occurred soon after the emergence of viral resistance, generally showing aggressive…